1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to self-defense devices and in particular to a device that provides both a defense unit for defending against an attack, and an alert unit for alerting others of the emergency.
2. State of the Art
Individuals often carry self-defense devices to protect themselves from attack from dangerous humans or animals. Some individuals carry weapons for self-defense. Carrying weapons for self-defense has many legal and safety risks, however, and so it is desirable to have a self-defense device which is less dangerous. Canisters of self-defense aerosol spray have become popular self-defense items. Self-defense aerosol repellent sprays such as tear gas or pepper spray are strong enough to stop an attacker from causing harm, and yet not strong enough to permanently disable or kill another individual. Thus canisters of self-defense aerosol spray provide a less dangerous self-defense alternative to weapons.
However, while canisters of self-defense aerosol spray can ward off or disable attackers, they do not provide an alert device capability. An alert device is a device which draws attention to oneself, in the hope that if an individual is being attacked, others will be alerted and can come and help. One alert option is to carry a whistle or alarm that makes a loud noise in the presence of danger. The whistle or alarm will attract attention and hopefully help will arrive. Often a potential attacker will flee when there is the potential to draw a crowd, and if this does not occur, then the others that are drawn can help to capture or deter the attacker. But—if an individual wants to use the aerosol repellent spray and also alert others to the dangerous situation, then two devices must be carried. It is not practical to carry more than one device that needs to be activated in an emergency. Thus, it is desirable to have a self-defense device which provides both an alert function and an attacker disabling function in one device, which is easy to carry and operate, and where both functions can be activated with a single trigger.